Wednesday, September 7, 2011

A Public Conveyance In Sakon Nakorn

Anywhere you go in Thailand, you are met with a slightly different availability of local transportation. You can always get around, but the vehicles will vary from place to place. Sakon Nakorn is way out east, almost to the Mekong River and Lao. It's a small place, even the provincial capitol. There were no meter taxis, only a few big cities in Thailand have actual metered taxis, but there were bicycle taxis, motorcycle taxis, small motorcycle-based tuk-tuks, and this thing.

I couldn't say if it was licensed in any way, or even if the guy used it to ferry people around for a fee, although I'm sure that he wouldn't say no if the chance came along. Maybe it's just for deliveries, you can stuff a lot of whatever into something like this.

In any case, it's an example of Thai enterprise. Thailand literally means "the land of the free," and the high level of economic freedom in Thailand can be surprising even to an American.

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About Me

Mr. C is: a reformed lawyer; a religious atheist; a useful "Handy Man;" an amateur social scientist; a beloved teacher; a well liked husband and father; Ambassador Emeritus from, and to, Planet X; a freelance professor; taxi driver to the stars (Joe DiMaggio and Ronald McDonald, both out of uniform); an excellent fire fighter; an enthusiastic but untalented musician; an experienced counselor; a top-notch disk jockey; an all around get-along-guy; a cunning linguist; a would-be lifestyle victim; a Masonic wannabe; a frequent reader; Professor Irwin Corey's Ph.D. adviser; an accomplished driver and motorcyclist; a famous rockologist; a reliable but indifferent bullshit detective; a poor speller; a proud United States Navy veteran (honorably discharged, barely); the Ayatollah of Ass-o-Hola; a drug legend; a Returned Peace Corps volunteer (Thailand); a generally charming man; nationally and internationally known from coast to coast; a legend in his own mind; a cultural-anthropological critic-at-large; an avenging angel who coolly bides his time; Soul Brother number 37; and a friend to the poor.